Unforgettables Foundation pays for children's burials

For nearly 15 years, the Unforgettables Foundation has helped with finances when families in the Inland Empire or from elsewhere in Southern California couldn't afford burial expenses for their children.

In 1999, founder Tim Evans was a chaplain at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. He saw case after case where families in mourning also had to deal with the fact that they could not afford to pay their children's burial expenses. Hospital co-workers and the owners of a nearby funeral home helped him start the Unforgettables Foundation, which since then has assisted more than 4,000 families.

Volunteers, many of them members of the foundation's executive committee, do the marketing and fundraising work that keeps the organization going.

Linda Stratton of Redlands joined the board two years ago after working as the executive director of a countywide medical association. Skills from her career have transferred well to her work with the foundation, she said.

"This is all done by volunteers," she said. "We have only one paid staff member, so it's helpful that we have quite a few volunteers with experience in things like marketing and fundraising."

The organization raises awareness with events including Lights for Little Lives, candlelight memorials for in San Bernardino and Riverside counties dedicated to children who have died.

"We want to give families support, both financial and emotional, during what has to be the worst circumstance they will ever have to go through," Evans said. "We want to help them keep their child's name, the legacy of their life, alive."

On Feb. 14, the second annual Unforgettables Heart Awards will be held.

"We think local charities should show benevolence toward each other," said Evans. "It can be tough to compete against each other for the limited amount of money that's available, but if we can recognize each other for the good we do, it helps everyone."

The honorary chairman is Assemblyman Mike Morrell, R-Rancho Cucamonga. Other guests include state Sen. Bill Emmerson, R-Hemet; San Bernardino County supervisors Janice Rutherford, James Ramos and Josie Gonzales; and Riverside County supervisors John Tavaglione and Marion Ashley.